Space Exploration Commission Holds First Hearing

The commission appointed to investigate the feasibility of US President’s Bush’s new space initiative held its first public hearing on Wednesday, and heard testimony from five aerospace experts. The testimony from Norman Augustine, retired chairman of Lockheed Martin Corp, said that a human mission to Mars would be very expensive, probably on the order of $150 billion over the next 10 years. He urged the commission to make sure this doesn’t get done “on the cheap”; and pointed to NASA’s history of underestimating the costs for major new projects. The commission is expected to deliver its report in approximately 120 days.